Klansmen Confederacy
The Klansmen Confederacy (officially the United Chapters of The Klan and popularly "The New South") is a post-war nation in western Mississippi, formerly part of the Gulf Commonwealth. Known as the power base of the Klan and infamous for the extreme demonetization and violence of its citizens towards Mutants and non-white inhabitants, most outsiders view its fanatical "Grand Wizards" and growing economic and military powers with distrust and fear. Still, many communities outside its borders and on the banks of the River depend on its militia and merchants for their protection and financial gain. History Fourth Founding (2070-2077) Ever since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1985 and the end of segregation in the South, the third iteration of the Klu Klux Klan had fallen on hard times. By 2060, they only had 3,000 members nationwide and had been labeled a "hate group" by the U.S. government. The Klu Klux Klan's fortunes began to change though in 2066, when the war with China began. Jingoistic attitudes became the norm and benefitted the Klan enormously. In 2068, the South was rocked by supposed terrorist attacks by Chinese saboteurs, some black. This fear motivated the Klan to step up to the plate and take the initiative. During the night of July 1, 2068, the Klansmen near the naval shipyards of Pascagoula, Mississippi (Gulf Commonwealth) were patrolling the streets, as they were the neighborhood watch at that time. They sighted a Chinese man bearing a suitcase walking towards the shipyards. Suspicious of him both because of his race and his cargo, the Klansmen assailed him, asking about his business at this hour. The Chinese man attempted to flee but was beaten down by the overzealous Klansmen. It was discovered that the suitcase the Chinese man was carrying was an explosive and after some hard questioning, it was also discovered that the man was an actual spy. The Klansmen saw the opportunity in using this to their advantage and held the spy in their custody for two more days until handing in the spy on the night of July 3 so that all the papers would read KKK CATCHES CHINESE SABOTEUR on July 4. This gained the Klan a great deal of good publicity and credibility. Of course, it was ignored the the other numerous times that Klansmen (especially the ones near Pascagoula) had attacked blacks and Chinese, they did not turn out to be spies. The Klan began a steady period of growth, gaining many members as a result of the good publicity given to them. By December 2069, the Klu Klux Klan had grown to over a million, less than its historical figures but still substantial growth. Most of these members were in the South, with the Gulf Commonwealth being the center of Klan influence. On December 24, 2077, the anniversary of the founding of the first Klan, Klan leaders from all across America met in a Great Conclave in the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi to reorganize the old and decrepit Third Klan into a better and more efficient Fourth Klan. Although the Conclave was met with much protest from the University's black residents, the Fourth Klu Klux Klan was formally created by the next week. From 2070 to 2077, the newly strengthened Klan tried to flex its collective muscle to gain political and social power. Many Klan members were voted into power in commonwealth governments. It was even rumored that the Governor of the Gulf Commonwealth was a member himself, which he publicly denied. In 2071, the Klan made a bold move, attempting to have a march down Pennsylvania Avenue as the Second Klan did. When they were refused, the KKK simply marched into Baltimore instead with over five thousand men. The next year, a film, named the Night Watch was made about the events of July 1, 2068, casting the Klansmen as heroes against the villianous Chinese spy. This marked the high water mark of Klan influence in America, where their numbers swelled to four million, numbers to rival the old days. However, this all changed after the Mass Massacre. The Klan in Texas was often involved in border incidents and clashes with illegal immigrating Mexicans from U.S.-occupied Mexico, who they hated for both their religion and their race. On September 13, 2073, a coyote shuttling illegal immigrants over the border shot one of the Klansmen, killing him. In response, the Klansmen crossed the border into Mexico and in a blatant miscommunication attacked a crowd of Mexicans returning from morning Mass, killing eleven people, including two children. News of the "massacre" spread like wildfire and once again captivated the national. The Klu Klux Klan leadership decided to cut their losses and also condemn the attack, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done. The decline of the Klan was not immediate but was a process. It first began with corruption cases in the Southeast Commonwealth, which exposed many of politicians there of Klan ties that helped them in their illicit activities. Next, it was the continual news reporting of the racist and violent actions of the Klan, possibly to gloss over the government's even more nefarious action. The final nail in coffin was the conviction of the governor of the Gulf Commonwealth, who everyone knew to be a member of the Klan, of tax evasion in 2073. By December 2073, the Klan's numbers barely topped half a million. Their brief resurgence had ended. However, this did not mark the end of the Klu Klux Klan itself. The Klan stubbornly held onto members in the Gulf Commonwealth. There also a large separatist chapter in Texas formed in the aftermath of the Mass Massacre. The Klan once again gained some type of relevance in 2076, when martial law was declared throughout the United States. The Klan seized on this, reversing its former patriotic stance, and publicly joined rioters in marching on the capital of the Gulf Commonwealth, Birmingham, in December 2076. In the "Battle of Birmingham", rioters, radicals, and Klansmen fought the National Guard to demand a return to state government and a reduction of federal powers. That winter, Birmingham burned. The Klu Klux Klan continued insurgent activities after federal troops took back Birmingham in 2077. In one of his last addresses to the country, the current president of the United States named the Klu Klux Klan, among others, a terrorist organization. The Grand Wizard of the KKK at that time, Robert Hendricks, was hiding out in Vicksburg at the time. One of the senators of the Mississippi Congressional District, Hendricks had connections in high places, specifically in the shadow government that eventually became the Enclave. He knew a nuclear attack from China would come by October 2077 and he meant to be prepared. Building a football field sized bunker outside of Vickburg using his public funds, Hendricks informed several other Klan leaders nearby and even some as faraway as Alabama of the coming doom. As the sirens began to go off all over America on October 23, 2077, Hendricks and much of the Gulf Commonwealth Klan leadership entered their bunker outside Vicksburg to wait out the apocolypse. Culture The Klansmen Confederacy is primarily divided into three different cultures: River Klan-Living on the Mississippi River, the River Klan chapters are marginally more tolerant than most others. They have almost constant exposure to rafters from ends of the river. However, they still retain views of white supremacy, just not as severe as the other chapters. The River Klan are thought of by most as plantation owners and merchants but are mostly made up of subsistence farmers and fisherman. Hill Klan-On the other hand, the Hill Klans embody any outsiders worst nightmare of the Klan. The Hill Klan chapters are in the Piney Woods and hilly regions of Central Mississippi, and they have a long tempered hatred for blacks, mutants, and other "undesirables". The way to deal with these "undesirables" is simple: get out or die. The Hill Klan chapters are mostly made up of subsistence farmers and hunters. New Klan-The New Klan is made up of the newly joined Klan chapters that have recently joined the UKC. The values of these New Klan chapters greatly vary. Some chapters more closely resemble other typical settlements in the wasteland than their fellow Klansmen. The New Klans are a combination of whatever one can imagine comes from the wasteland that the Klan will tolerate. Economy The Klansmen Confederacy is mostly dependent on farming, a common feature in the 23rd century. Trade on the river is what really drives the economy. Money is made from trade with rafters, as well as tolls on certain parts of the river. Government An ethnic confederation, the Klansmen Confederacy elects its officials democratically from the local mayor to the Grand Wizard. Of course, all voters must be members of the Klan itself. The chain of command in the Klansmen Confederacy is straightforward. On top, there is the Gand Wizard, the leader of the Confederacy who powers vary with whoever holds the office. Below him are the Grand Dragons, who preside over one Klan chapter. The mayors of towns and the Grand Titans, the leaders of local Klan councils, are about on the same level of importance. In case something jarring happens or a important issue comes up that affects the whole UPK, the Great Conclave is called to judge the matter. Military One of the Klans' main functions in the wasteland is the fact that they are a militia to fight external threats. The Klan trains every other week or maybe month in shooting and combat. Troop quality varies from chapter to chapter and sometimes even town to town. Relations Gallery File:RallyOfKnights.jpg|Early knights and militia, photographed in 2086. File:UCTKmap.png| Map of Mississippi with Pre-War county lines. Red regions indicate strong UCTK presence, orange represents a lighter, but active presence. Category:Places Category:Communities Category:Groups